Road grading rake



April 9, 1957 co 2,787,876

ROAD GRADING RAKE I Filed Sept. 29, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. I

lo =r m l5 s; ao 67 INVENTOR.

NORMAN COLE BY M 5m ATTORI'NEY April 9, 1957 N. COLE 2,787,876

ROAD GRADING RAKE Filed Sept. 29, 1954 s Sheets-Sheet 2 3O so FIG. 3

5 w o "I j 34 s9 ea 3 PM mm- 7 I F [i [I-I-I-I-I-[I- 9' I INVENTOR. NORMAN COLE ATTORNEY April 9, 1957 L 2,787,876

ROAD GRADING RAKE Filed Sept. 29, 1954 3 Shets-Sheet 6 FIG. 6

FOLDED FIG. 5

SIDESHIFT PIVOT FIG. 8

saossnn-"r a PIVOT INVENTOR.

'NORMAN COLE ATTORNEY United States Patent ROAD GRADING RAKE Norman Cole, Webster, N. Y., assignor to York Modern gorpioration, Unadilla, N. Y., a corporation of New 7 Application September 29, 1954, Serial No. 459,196

3 Claims. (Cl. 55--17) The present invention relates to road grading machinery and more particularly to improvements in road grading rakes as used to spread and distribute gravel on a road surface.

Road rakes of the general type to which the present invention relates are well known and are widely used in road construction and rebuilding. It is, of course, necessary to transport the road building machine over the highways from one construction location to another. In transporting the road rake, the usual clearances as required by state law must be observed in order to avoid interference or accidents with highway traffic and the numerous highway obstructions, such as bridges, underpasses, and the like. However, it is very desirable to provide as wide a raking path for the road rake as possible when using the road rake to spread gravel or the like. This means that the rake assembly must be quite long in order to provide a wide raking path when using the rake at an angle to the path of movement of the rake. Prior to this invention the maximum length of the rake assembly has been limited in order to obtain the required clearances when transporting the rake.

It is a principal object of this invention to provide an improved road rake having increased rake length but adjustable to provide the required road clearances when transporting the rake.

A feature of the invention is the provision of two rake members normally supported in alignment with each other across the path of rake movement for raking purposes, but each being movable to be supported in a folded position opposite each other in alignment with the path of rake movement to thus provide the required clearances for transporting the rake.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved road rake of simplified design which is capable of full adjustment to a variety of positions for compensating for road camber or elevation and movable to a variety of raking positions to provide adjustable raking angles either pivoted, or side shifted, or both.

Although the rake of the invention is primarily intended to function as a road rake and to be mounted on a tractor, it is contemplated that the rake assembly of the invention may be adapted to other raking purposes, if desired.

Further objects, features, and the attending advantages of the invention will be apparent with reference to the following specification and drawings in which Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the road rake of the invention with the outer end portion of one rake member omitted to simplify the drawings, it being understood that the end portions of each rake member are identical,

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the rake shown in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is an end elevational view of the rake as seen in the direction of rake movement,

Fig. 4 is a perspective detail view of the rake hinges and position locking structures,

2,78 7,876 Patented -Apr.' 9, 1957 Fig. 5 is a schematic illustration of the rake assembly in a side shifted position,

Fig. 6 is a schematic illustration to show the positions of the individual rake units of the rake assembly as folded for transport,

Fig. 7 is a schematic illustration to show the rake assembly as pivoted to an angle position for side raking, and

Fig. 8 is a schematic illustration of the rake assembly as seen in the position with the rake assembly both pivoted and side shifted.

Referring now to Figures 1-3 of the drawings for a general description of the invention, the road raking assembly is intended to be supported from the rear frame member of a tractor or the like (not shown), and the tractor may be conventionally provided with a source of fluid pressure for operating the rake power lifting mechanism, as will be described. The rear frame cross member 10 of the tractor is provided with rearwardly extending hinge brackets 11 and 12 at each end, and a pivotal cross member 13 is pivotally secured to the brackets 11 and 12 at the pivot points 14 and 15, respectively. The rake main frame A is comprised of longitudinalframe members 16, 17, and 18 and cross frame members 19, 20, and 21 all bolted, welded, or otherwise secured together in the general rectangular form as shown by the plan view of Fig. l. The front cross member 19 of the rake main frame is pivotally connected at 23 to the center of the pivotal cross member 13 so that in effect the pivotal connections 14, 15, and 23 comprise a universal joint connection between the rake main frame A and the tractor frame rear cross member 10 to thus provide continuous adjustment for changes in road camber or the like.

In order to raise the rake main frame A so that the rake teeth will be out of contact with the road, as required during transport of the rake from one working location to another, a rake power lifting mechanism is provided. Vertical frame members 30 and 31 are joined to horizontal cross members 32, 33, and 34 and the entire lift frame assembly thus provided is mounted in a vertical position on the tractor cross member 10, as seen by Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings. A hydraulic cylinder 35 is centrally mounted in a vertical position and a piston rod 36 extends upward with a cross head 37 at its outer end. The weight of the rake assembly and rake main frame A may be supported by a pair of cables, one of which is shown at 40. Each cable is connected to a respective side fastener 41, 42 of main frame members 16, 18 and passes over respective pulleys 43, 44 on the upper ends of vertical frame members 30, 31 and downward to a connection on the relatively large diameter winding drums 45, 46, respectively. The winding drums 45, 46 are rotatably journallecl on the diagonal frame braces 47, 48. The piston cross head 37 is connected by cables 50, 51 to the small diameter pulleys 52, 53 which are integral with winding drums 45, 46 so that the upward movement of the cross head 37 is multiplied by winding drums 45, 46 to provide an adequate lift of the main frame A and associated rake assembly as should be readily apparent.

The rake assembly is comprised of two rake members generally shown at 60, 61 having a plurality of spring rake teeth as is conventional. Each rake assembly is pivotally secured in an aligned plane at 62, 63 respectively to a cross member or plate 64 that is fastened to the channel member 65 and subframe cross member '71. Each of the respective rake members 60, 61 is also supported at a point spaced from the respective pivotal con nections 62, 63 by sliding journals 66, 67 on arcuate support rods 68, 69. The arcuate support rods 68, 69

are secured to the channel member 65 and subframe and members 72, 73. Thus, when the rake assembly is raised from the ground, each rake member 60, 61 may be pivoted about pivot points 62, 63 with the journals 66, 67 sliding along the arcuate support rods 68, 6910 thus fold the rake members of the assembly to the position shown by Fig. 6 of the drawings for purposes of providing adequate clearances when transporting the rake over the highways.

Now referring to .Fig. 4 along with Figs. .l-S of the drawings, it will be seen that the channel member 65 and cross member 64 are integrally joined to a subframework comprised of cross members 70, 71 and end members 72, 73. The subframework may also be referred to as a sliding framework in view of its function, to be described. Cylindrical slide rods 74, 75 are secured to the end members 72, 73 of the subframe in a position extending between the cross members 70, 71. The sliding subframe is journalled to be supported by the cross head member 76 by means of the slide rods 74, 75 passing through cross head 76. The cross head member .76 is pivotally connected at 77 to a pivot pin 78 that is secured to the central longitudinal frame member 17 of the main frame A. Thus, the cross sliding subframework of the rake, as comprised of the frame members 70-73 and the channel 65 supporting the rake members 60, 61, may be pivoted as a unit about the pivot point 78 to the position shown by Fig. 7 of the drawings, or may be side shifted along the support rods 74, 75 as a unit to the position shown by Fig. 5 of the drawings, or may be both pivoted and side shifted to a position such as shown by Fig. 8 of the drawings. When the entire rake assembly is pivoted about the pivot point 78, it may be locked in the desired position by means of a friction lock 86 that slidably supports an extension rod 81 pivotally connected at 82 to the channel member 65. To look the rake assembly against side shifting, a lock generally shown at 85 of any suitable type may be provided to secure the cross head 76 to the slide rods 74, 75 in any adjusted side shift position of the sliding subframc.

. Various modifications may be made within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A road rake comprising, a frame member, a pair of rake members, means to pivotally connect one end of each of said rake members to said frame adjacent each other in an aligned plane, a pair of arcuate support rods, each rod being secured to said frame at a point spaced from the pivotal connection of a respective one of said rake members and in radial alignment with said pivotal connection, and means to slidably connect a respective one of said rake members to a respective one of said ar cuate support rods.

2. A road rake comprising, a main frame member, a subframe member pivotally connected to said main frame member, a pair of rake members, means to pivotally connect one end of each of said rake members to said subframe adjacent each other in an aligned plane, a pair of arcuate support rods, each rod being secured to said sub-frame at a point spaced from the pivotal connection of a respective one of said rake members and in a radial alignment with said pivotal connections, and means to slidably connect a respective one of said rake members to a respetcive one of said arcuate support rods.

3. A road rake comprising, a main frame member, a subframe member slidably and pivotally connected to said main frame member, a pair of rake members, means to pivotally connect one end of each of said rake membars to said subframe adjacent each other in an aligned plane, a pair of arcuate support rods, each being secured to said subframe at a point spaced from the pivotal connection of a respective one of said rake members and in radial alignment with said pivotal connection, and means to slidably connect a respective one of said rake members to a respective one of said arcuate support rods.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 773,208 Ketelsen Oct. 25, 1904 2,222,840 Holmes Nov. 26, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS 47,374 Denmark May 17, 1933 

